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Love the creativity of the graphics. Would love to see an article in Scouting Magazine on how the insides are organized to share ideas do someone who might be looking into getting a trailer for their unit. There was an article awhile back about the best vehicles for Scouting purposes. Do units just carry unit gear in the trailer or do they haul individual gear such as backpacks as well. Would be nice to see how the units configure the inside to new their needs. Might be a nice you tube video as well.

If you do an article on trailers, please also include tips on how to keep them from being stolen. You read about that from time to time. A lot of times, the thieves aren’t after the contents, but they’re after reselling the expensive trailer.

We are looking for a new one since ours is rusting out and the axle is bent. Two other local troops bought new ones last year thorough grants. We were originally thinking of a longer one with duel axles but our fear is that the longer ones would have duel axles w/breaks and there may be a time when no one in the troop had a vehicle to pull it. Or the one guy who owns a truck would be required to go on all campouts.

With the cost of gas these days so many are downsizing their transportation. Anything above a single axle might be asking for trouble.

Just as an FYI solution to dual axle with breaks issue and only have one or two trucks rigged with break controls, found a solution to that issue with a “wireless” controller. The break controller mounts on the trailer and a wireless controller goes in cab and plugs into cigerette lighter. Very cool, allows for almost any 1/2 ton truck like tahoe or suburban with normal 6000 lb class C hitch to pull the trailer.

Pack trailers are rare. My local pack got theirs the last years I was there. The CO kicked us out of our storage room but bought us a newer used 18′ trailer Issue is when you go camping you take the derby track and rain gutters with you too

My troop just purchased our second trailer. We had a 5’x8′ trailer that we just out grew so we purchased a new 7’x16′ v nose trailer. The trailer was purchased with money from our anual yard sale money. I then went to a company close to us and asked if they would do the vinyl graphics. The only stipulation was it had to have the Troop #, our city & state & Council on it. The rest was up to them and their artist. They agreed to do it and donate the graphics. On the insde we made cabinets in the v nose part and an area to house our pronpane tanks. We also have a rod in the cabinet to hang our Class A uniforms so they are not folded up in packs. If anyone would like photos of the inside and outside you can email me at boyscouttroop81@yahoo.com.

Responding to Scott’s comment about getting your trailer stolen. We use these utility trailers for our Troop as well as in my company. I recently had one of my company trailers broken into in a hotel parking lot. The hasp of the door where you put the lock on was sawed off. We lost about $30k worth of various equipment. Once we have experienced this, it became painfully obvious that the hasp design on these trailers is very easy to defeat. That said, due to this experience, we researched a better lock and found one that surrounds the entire hasp – these types of locks are available at a good trailer dealer or on-line if you search for them. Search for “utility trailer lock” and you will get plenty results. Just make sure you get the ones that cover the entire hasp. Other suggestions:
– If you have an external mounted spare tire, use a coated wire cable and padlock to lock it to your trailer (Walmart etc or any hardware store).
– If you leave your trailer unattended (in a Church parking lot for example), get a longer coated wire cable (12 – 15′) and run it through both tires (or all four) and padlock it so your tires do not get stolen
– Always use a receiver lock (both on and off the vehicle)
– Lock your Ball arm to your vehicle
– If you have multiple trailers, lock them together when not in use
– Of course, when selecting your security equipment, think of the quality vs. cost. Better locks are more expensive but harder to defeat. It all depends on your area and the risk level.

There are plenty of other options available – it is up to your imagination. I take scouts on extended canoe camping trips and leave the canoe and gear trailers at boat ramps for over a week at a time (usually in remote areas where folks have plenty of time to steal them). I use a combination of all of the above to secure the trailers and removable parts. While we have had cars broken into, after 10 years our trailers have not been tampered with. I wish I could say the same about the company trailer.

I’d respectfully suggest you skip the coated wire. I’ve seen that tried (on a non-scout trailer), and the thieves just drove off any way. About 5 feet later the turning wheels snapped the wire like kite string. Use a log chain, the biggest, heaviest one you can find, and run it through both wheels. Lock it with at least 2 locks. Don’t just use a little padlock in the receiver lever. Any cheap bolt cutter will take that right off. Use a padlock AND one of those big locks that goes into the hitch (basically a locking ball). Also, most trailers have a rolling tongue jack, so after you unhook the trailer, have a few strong hands help you turn it around and push the hitch end into the parking space first. Preferably a space where the tongue can be chained to a tree, metal post, utility post, etc. This will help prevent the “drag it and go” approach, as well as make the rear doors visible, discouraging lock cutting etc. Park the trailer in the most visible part of the lot. This also deters thieves, plus advertises for your troop/pack. Call the local police and let them know about the trailer and the situation. Luckily, we’re in a small town, and if our officers see anybody they don’t know pulling our trailer, it’ll be time for party lights and sirens. Good luck!

When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now
each time a comment is added I get three emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Thanks a lot!

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Bryan on Scouting is the official blog of Scouting magazine, a Boy Scouts of America publication. Scouting magazine is published five times a year and is received by 1 million registered adult volunteers.